Ain't No Fae in the Milky Way
by kiwi.girrrl
Summary: Dr Lauren Lewis' sudden appearance on Voyager has everyone on board mystified, except for Captain Kathryn Janeway. She almost instantly recognises the omnipotent being Q's handiwork. Now, not only does she have to explain Lauren's unique predicament to her, without breaking the Temporal Prime Directive, but she must coerce Q to send her back to the right place in space and time.
1. Chapter 1

**Ain't No Fae in the Milky Way**

© 2013 Kiwi Girrrl

_Acknowledgements  
_Thank you; Gene Roddenberry for creating the endearing and enduring Star Trek franchise; Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor for creating the Star Trek: Voyager series; the script writers, for the obvious reasons.

Special thanks to the actors; Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn Janeway), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), John de Lancie (Q) and Zoie Palmer (Dr Lauren Lewis) for their portrayal of their characters.

To have 'authentic' stardates I used the 24th Century calculator found on the TrekGuide website (trekguide_.com_/Stardates_.htm) because trying to figure it out on my own was doing my head in. Last by not least, thank you Memory Alpha for help with the treknobabble.

_Disclaimers  
_Star Trek: Voyager and Lost Girl characters are used without permission.

All additional characters created for the purpose of this story have come from my imagination and any resemblance to characters in Star Trek, Lost Girl or persons living now or in the past is purely accidental.

**Rated M** – The following story contains mild erotica between consenting adult women.

_Author's Note_  
This story has not be beta-read so may contain errors. Feel free to drop me a PM if you find an error and I'll correct it, I'm pedantic that way.

Now that is out of the way, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did imagining and writing it.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Ensign Tom Paris staggered into sick bay supporting a wounded crewman with third degree plasma burns to his face and hands.

"Doctor." he called as they hasten across the main treatment room towards a biobed, there is no response.

"Doctor, we need you." Tom called into the silent room, looking toward the doctor's empty office, he frowned. "That's weird, he's usually chomping at the bit for a little medical emergency." he said aloud but to himself.

"Computer, activate the EMH"

_Unable to comply._ Came the impersonal response from the ship's computer.

"Great, I don't have time for this." he said as he helped the wounded crewman onto the nearest biobed. "Well it looks like I'll be your doctor today Jerry." he said, the crewman writhing in pain was his only response.

Picking up the nearest medical tricorder, Tom began to scan the crewman's injuries. After quickly administering a hypospray to ease the crewman's pain, he picked up a dermal regenerator and started working on repairing the plasma burns. He was almost finished when the doctor's familiar opening words are spoken behind him.

"Please state the nature of the medical e-mer-gen-cy." a distinctly female voice states. By the time the statement is delivered, the woman's tone has risen to a question, the pitch almost to a squeak, and the last word is spoken slowly, each syllable separated and distinct.

"Gee Doc, have you been tinkering with your vocal sub-routines again?" he asked without turning around, still concentrating on treating the crewman's burns. "If it's gonna malfunction after such a short phrase, I think it still needs a little work. I'll get B'Elanna to take a look at it for you later. Although I gotta say it's definitely an improvement over your last attempt." he teased, smiling to himself as he remembered the last time the doctor had tried to re-program his voice.

"There you go Jerry, good as new." he gave the crewman's arm a comforting little pat and helped him off the bed, then he turned around expecting to talk to the doctor.

To say that Tom was not prepared for the sight that greeted him would be an understated understatement. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened as he looked at the beautiful woman standing in the middle of the room where the doctor should have been.

Long dark blonde hair, with highlights the colour of straw, fell gracefully past her shoulders with just the hint of a natural wave. Two delicate brows arched over stunning large brown eyes that sparkled from the multitude of lights in the room. A straight nose, bracketed by delicate cheekbones, pointed down to a perfect bow shaped upper lip, matched by fuller lower lip, to form a very attractive kissable mouth. All this was framed in a long face with strong chin and well defined jaw line.

She wasn't very tall, only about 170 centimetres tall in his estimation, but the height was very nicely distributed. He couldn't see very much under the strange white overcoat she was wearing, but she was wearing a tight top that fastening in the front, and it looked like she had curves in all the right places. Her legs, encased in heavy blue tight trousers, were long and shapely. Jeans. The word suddenly popped into his head from nowhere.

_Jeans? Nineteenth to Twenty-first Century attire? Why would she be wearing archaic clothing?_ He asked himself. _I'm starting to think this is not just a case of the doctor changing his program. I don't think he'd change himself into a woman, no matter how attractive she is. Has a hologram escaped from the holodeck and taken his place? I hope not._ Tom was starting to get very confused. _I should get B'Elanna to run a full diagnostic as soon as possible._ Thinking about his girlfriend B'Elanna Torres, Voyager's Chief Engineer, was enough to jolt Tom out of his inner musings and into action.

He looked over at the crewman beside him and saw he was struck deaf and dumb much the same way as was himself up until a short while ago. Just before he opened his mouth to speak, his doubts threw one last curve ball at him.

_What if she is not a hologram at all?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lauren stood in the middle of a room completely foreign to her experience and understanding. She slowly inspected her surroundings. The room was curved, three beds directly in front of her in a slight semi-circle, each with several display screens. One bed occupied by the wounded man. Turning to her left, she saw a brightly lit area with a single bed. _A surgical bed? Triage area?_ Turning again to her left, she saw an office, with a large display on the wall behind a desk.

_What is this place? Some sort of top secret Fae medical facility? Why don't I know about it? Apart from the fact that it's top secret?_ she derided herself._ The men appear human, but that doesn't really mean anything, many types of Fae appear human, until they show they aren't. Why am __I__ here? My reputation is fairly widely known within the Fae community. Am I here because of my extensive knowledge on a wide variety of Fae? Why did they bring me here now? Do they want me to help them with something?_

The last thing she remembered was testing samples in her lab at home, just another typical Friday night. _How long ago was that? How did I get from there to here? Where is here? I can't remember walking to this room let alone getting to where ever 'here' is. It was as if I just appeared here in an instant. And what on earth did I just say?_

Completing the circle she watched the men and waited, her incomprehension growing with each passing moment. The young fair-haired man who'd spoken earlier appeared to be 'treating' the other man on the bed. As she watched, he waved a small object over the other man's wounds. The burns must have been quite extensive but, were now almost gone and they gradually disappeared a little more with each sweep right before her eyes. From what she'd heard and seen so far she doubted very much she would be able to offer any assistance to these people. She had way too many questions and no real answers. Just then then they appeared to finish up.

"There you go Jerry, good as new." the fair-haired one said, patting the other man on the arm, he helped him off the bed to stand beside him. When they noticed her, their reaction was almost enough to make her laugh.

She'd seen enough weird and unexplainable phenomenon in her dealings with the Fae over the years to consider herself capable of handling anything thrown at her. _By their reaction to me, you would think I'd just sprouted three heads and started yodeling. And I thought I was shocked to be here._ She thought. The sound of the dermal regenerator bouncing as it landed on the floor was enough to break them all out of their stunned silence.

Lauren decided she may as well start with, what should be, an easy question. Tom, having finally found his voice, asked his question at exactly the same moment. The crewman deferred to Tom's superior rank and wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Where am I?"

"Who are you?"

The doctor, that is the real Emergency Medical Hologram, also chose that moment to make an appearance. Unfortunately, he materialised directly in front of Lauren, almost in exactly the same space, causing her to gasp and instinctively take a step back.

"Please state the nature of... Oh, hello, and who might you be?" he broke off his usual greeting when he saw Lauren. Automatically going into 'doctor' mode, he observed her unusual style of dress and started analysing her behaviour. He almost appeared to absentmindly walk around her, but he was collecting as much information about her as he could. Picking up a tricorder, he inspected and analysed the young woman, not realising how rude he may appear to her in the process.

Lauren was just as curious with him as he was with her. _I don't know about the other two, but this one definitely appears to be Fae. Now I just have to find out what type of Fae and what side he's on. Easy._ She sighed, took a steadying breath and began. The other two men in the room were forgotten and ignored by both doctors.

"Who are you? Where did you just come from? What kind of Fae are you? Are you dark Fae or light? I've never heard of a Fae that can transport before, if that's what you did. Or, were you here all this time, just invisible? Are you one of the Huldufolk? No that doesn't make sense." she answered that question herself. "You wouldn't show yourself to us if you were Huldufolk." she continued as she watched the doctor, leaning slightly away from the tricorder as it came closer to her, while she asked her questions. "How long have I been here? Why am I here?" realising she was rambling, she finished with "Oh and, by the way, where is here?"

"I see you have a level of curiosity to rival the Captain's." he said with a raised eyebrow. "To answer your questions; I am the doctor, the Emergency Medical Hologram to be precise. I'm not sure entirely sure what a Fae is but I'm fairly sure I'm not one. I was deactivated, so I was neither transported nor invisible and you're in sick bay." he said putting the tricorder down. "Now I have a few questions of my own." he said looking directly at her to gauge her responses.

_Captain? Hologram? His answers have just created more questions._ She became more frustrated with the situation.

The doctor opened his mouth to start asking his own questions. Tom, finally seemed to realise he should be in charge of the situation; stepped forward and interjected before the doctor could utter a word. Lauren looked at him as if she was just realising he was still in the room.

"Ah Doc, I think we should let the Captain ask the questions, don't you?" he said, looking meaningfully from the woman to the room in general, trying to convey wordlessly his doubts about the situation. _As much as I would love to be the one to question her, I think I am in over my head, especially if she isn't just a hologram. I can't wait to tell Harry about this, he's going to be so envious he missed this._

"Indeed." in that one word the doctor conveyed his disappointment and displeasure at being told by Tom Paris of all people. "Very well then." he was just about to tap his commbadge to hail the Captain, when Tom tapped his first. The doctor huffed at being beaten to the punch. _Fine Mr Paris, you can take the credit with the Captain, but I know something about our guest that you don't._ He grinned smugly to himself and waited.

"Captain please report to sick bay," Tom announced, after a slight pause he added sheepishly, "Ah, medical emergency."


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note_  
The next two chapters were going to be one, but I found it difficult to get it flow, so here is the first half.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Captain Kathryn Janeway, sitting in her ready room, absently picked the coffee cup up off the desk in front of her. _Did Tom Paris just order me to sick bay for a medical emergency?_ she thought incredulously. When she saw the cup was empty, she frowned down into it, then placed it back on the desk. With a loud sigh she leaned back in her chair; resting her head on the high back she rubbed her aching forehead. _Things are getting far too relaxed around here. Time to set the ground rules firmly in place again._

"That is why we have a doctor Mr Paris." she replied sternly.

She really didn't have time to be traipsing down to sick bay right now, she looked at the stack of data padds on the desk in front of her; an assortment of staff reports, crew requests and petty grievances she had been reviewing, developing a headache in the process. _Nothing another cup of good coffee won't fix._

_"I know Captain, but well, I think you're going to want to deal with this personally."_ Tom insisted.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Oh Tom, I know you don't overly enjoy your sick bay duties but I really thought you would have found a happy median with the doctor by now. I'm getting tired of having to step in whenever you and the doctor have a little disagreement. What have you two found to bicker about now?_ She quickly decided she would rather mediate between Tom and the doctor than continue reviewing the reports. Being a person of action she would always choose doing something over sitting at a desk any day. The padd she had been reading was casually tossed onto the desk next to the others.

"On my way." she announced. Standing she stretched tired, aching muscles which had gradually tightened after several hours of sitting. _While I'm there, I may as well book a time with the doctor for a massage._ She thought, starting toward the door.

_"Oh, and Captain, can you bring Tuvok with you?"_ Tom added.

Frowning again, she exited her ready room and stepped up into the bridge. _What in blazes is going on down there? Why would he ask for Tuvok? Was he asking for security without saying it specifically? Why?_ Now she was more than a little curious; her earlier annoyance slowly dissipating. As she approached the main Security station, she looked directly at her Chief Security Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok.

"Tuvok." simply saying his name, and inclining her head in the direction of the turbolift. Having known each other for almost 20 years, their working relationship is such that the small non-verbal action is enough to convey her request for him to follow her. Lifting a brow in quiet question, the only indication of his possible curiosity, he immediately fell into place, one step behind her.

"Sick bay." she ordered as the lift doors close behind them.

"Are you unwell Captain?"

"No. It's some emergency in sick bay that only I can handle, and that requires your presence; according to Tom."

"Indeed." They lapsed into a companionable silence for the remainder of the short trip.

* * *

Entering sick bay, the first thing Kathryn noticed was the woman standing in the middle of the room. _Who is she? Where did she come from? I wasn't made aware of any ships or planets in the area, let alone anyone coming on board. Why is she here? How long has she been here?_ All these thoughts raced through Kathryn's mind in the time it took the blonde to turn and face them at the sound of their arrival. When Kathryn's and the stranger's eyes met across the small space, she was not prepared for her reaction, all coherent thought briefly deserted her. She felt an undeniable yet indefinable jolt of recognition and attraction towards her. _I don't understand, I feel like I know her but I don't know how or why. I think I would remember meeting her, she's stunning. Stunning? I feel like I'm meeting Seven for the first time all over again. Where did that come from? She's nothing like Seven._ Although she couldn't deny the woman was stunning. _You sure you don't just have a thing for blondes Kathryn?_ Her internal self asked slyly. _Oh shut up, just because I have a thought doesn't mean I have to entertain it._ She told herself.

Forcing herself to look away from the woman's chocolate eyes, she perused the area and took note of the other people in the room. The doctor was working at the central workstation. Tom stood by the biobeds, glancing between the woman, Kathryn and Tuvok. A crewman, whose name escaped her, stood next to Tom, looking like he would rather be anywhere else but here. _Looking for a quick exit no doubt. Sorry Crewman, you'll have to stay a little longer, at least until I have some idea what is going on here._ That thought was enough to settle her back into the familiar persona of the Captain of a Federation Starship. Shifting her attention back to their uninvited guest, Kathryn began.

"Hello, I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway. Who are you, and why are you on my ship?" Although her tone started out friendly and inviting, her last question was full of authority, indicating she expected an immediate answer.

Lauren stared, she couldn't believe the powerful, red-velvet-husky coffee-laced voice had just emanated from such a small woman. The air suddenly felt electrically charged as she coupled the voice with the vision before her. An almost round face framed by deep auburn shoulder-length hair. Pale, flawless complexion; delicate brows, the right one raised slightly higher than the left in inquiry. She had developed just the hint of a crease at the top of her straight nose indicating she frowned often. Her mouth subtly coloured, was drawn in an imitation of a straight line, slightly down on the right and up on the left, as if in defiance to being put in that position. Probably not noticable unless you looked closely, as Lauren was.

_I'm attracted to her. Amazing. I haven't been this attracted to someone, this quickly, since Bo._ It was while she was thinking this that their eyes met across the room and Lauren almost forgot to breathe. She found herself drowning in the beautiful smoky-blue eyes. She always thought she'd been a strong swimmer, she was wrong. Blinking quickly, not wanting to break eye contact, she realised she hadn't responded to the woman's questions. _Kathryn. Her name is Kathryn. It suits her._ Suddenly Kathryn looked away and Lauren was able to breathe again, not quite normally, but regularly. She finally responded to the questions while she could still use her voice.

"I'm Dr Lauren Lewis. Did you say ship? Am I on a ship? You're the ones who brought me here. One second I was at home in my lab, then the next thing I know I'm here. What sort of..." As always, when she was nervous, she started rambling, jumping from topic to topic. Lauren faltered mid-question when Kathryn held her hand up indicating she should stop. She had such an air of authority about her Lauren felt compelled to comply.

_She thinks we brought her here? I need to get to the bottom of this fast._ Kathryn did not want to complete the thought that was starting to form in her mind but it formed nonetheless._ This situation is starting to like the handiwork of Q, the signs are just too obvious to ignore. Why has he brought this woman here? Why now? Why me?_ Her previous run ins with Q had been tumultuous, more than memorable and less than enjoyable. She unconsciously rubbed her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose; her headache had just increased in magnitude._  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Captain, before you continue, may I have a word with you." the doctor interjected, indicating they should talk in private. Kathryn raised a brow in irritation at the doctor's interruption but, she nodded her agreement and followed him into his office. She positioned herself so she had a view of the main sick bay, and its occupants, although her attention was with the doctor as he spoke.

"This had better be important Doctor."

"Her bio scans indicate she is human but, she isn't one of the crew and there haven't been any planets or ships anywhere near us for the last three weeks, let alone any with humans on them."

"Go on." Kathryn inserted, she already guessed the human part, knew for certain the other part, but felt the doctor had more to divulge.

"She mentioned something called a Fae and indicated I might one. I have no idea what that is. We haven't encountered any species recently that call themselves Fae. We should consult with Seven, see if the Borg know of them."

"I see. Is that all?"

"There is more Captain. I detected a trace of chroniton particles when I scanned her." _And that,_ thought Kathryn, _confirms what I was thinking, Q is up to his old tricks again. Sticking his nose in places it shouldn't be. One day someone's going to chop that nose off, and I hope I'm there to see it._

"Thank you Doctor."

On her way back into the main room; Kathryn's gaze settled on the curious non-ranking crewman and she stopped in the office doorway. She quickly decided he didn't need to know anymore than he already did.

"Crewman?" she called him over to where they were.

"Jerry Platt Ma'am." he said.

"I think we have enough people here to deal with this, you can return to your post."

"Yes Ma'am." he was almost at the door when she added.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you, nothing you've seen in this room is to go any further."

"Yes Ma'am." Kathryn inwardly cringed, she really did hate that term, it made her feel old. _I am not a Ma'am._

As the sick bay doors closed behind him, Kathryn turned her gaze back toward Tom; she decided all she needed from him was a recap of what happened for now.

"Now, Mr Paris, would you like to explain what happened here? Or do I have to guess?"

"I thought the doctor may have been getting creative, altering his program again." Tom stated after giving a brief recount of bringing the wounded crewman in for treatment. "That was until he appeared as well."

"Ideas?" she asked, looking quickly sideways at Lauren, who seemed quite taken with Tuvok and was staring at his ears with a curious look on her face, but seemed content to remain silent for now. It's the reaction she expected from someone who'd never seen a Vulcan before, which isn't unusual in itself considering they were in the Delta Quadrant and Vulcans were scarce, but with her suspicions growing stronger, she would say she had never seen a Vulcan before.

"I thought maybe she could be a hologram that somehow leaked into the holomatrix here from the holodeck. B'Elanna could probably confirm that. I'll get her to run a diagnostic on the holographic systems right away." he offered hoping to be dismissed so he could talk to Harry.

"That won't be necessary." the doctor said to Tom with a smug look on his face. Tom looked at him questioningly.

"She's human. A perfectly healthy specimen in fact." he said triumphantly, noting the shocked look on Tom's face.

The doctor's unfortunate choice of words finally brought Lauren's attention back to the others in the room. She looked at the doctor in shock. _Specimen? What do you mean specimen? She, Kathryn said we are on a ship. Oh my God, am I on a space ship? I am aren't I? I've been abducted by aliens, and now they're going to perform experiments on me. That's why everything looks so strange._ Looking around the room, everything was directing her thoughts to that conclusion. The doctor's appearance from thin air; his comment about her being a human specimen; their strange dress and mannerisms; the male with the pointed ears. Lauren could feel panic building in her chest.

"Oh dear God. I'll co-operate, tell you anything you want to know. Oh God, please don't hurt me." Her panic mounted with each wild thought running through her mind. The doctor, sensing she was close to full-blown hysteria, picked up a hypospray and prepared a mild sedative. Intending to calm her down, he slowly approached her. Thinking the worst, namely that the doctor was going to incapacitate her, she backed away from him eyes widening, frantically looking around her for a means of escape. All forward directions were blocked, unfortunately so were the ones to the rear; she came to an abrupt halt against the wall.

"I can assure you, I have no intention of harming you. This is merely a mild sedative to help keep you calm." he indicated the hypospray. "I'm a doctor, not a barbarian." he eventually got close enough and managed to place the hypospray injector on her neck and dosed her. Unfortunately he wasn't prepared for her reaction to the sedative. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she slowly crumpled toward the floor; unconscious. He barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor. With Tom's assistance they lay her on a biobed.

"Doctor?" Kathryn asked concern creasing her brow.

"I don't understand Captain." He was more than a little perplexed by her reaction. "That was a mild dosage, and was only supposed be enough to calm her down; it most certainly shouldn't have rendered her unconscious. She may have fainted as a result of her panic attack." he picked up a tricorder and started scanning. Now that she was on a biodbed he received a more in-depth report.

"Well that explains it." He said looking at the data on the tricorder. "It appears she has a very low tolerance to Improvoline, almost none in fact. That was enough to render her unconscious. I'll have to run more tests, but it appears she is missing several genetic markers that have been in human DNA for the last two centuries. This is most unusual, I haven't seen anything like this." the last comments were merely his musing out loud; everyone in the room forgotten except his patient. His brow furrowed with concentration as he continued his scans.

While waiting for the doctor, Kathryn decided it was time to clear the room of unneccessary personnel.

"Tom, I don't see the need to keep you here any longer, you can return to your duties." She paused while he left. Looking at her good friend she strengthened her tone, she knew he would try to stay so she needed to be firm. He had become very protective of her over the years, and although it was an endearing trait, it was a nuisance at times. "Tuvok, she doesn't pose a threat while she is unconscious, I'll call you if I need you again. I'm going to stay and go over the doctor's findings with him."

"That would be unwise."

"Maybe, but I have a feeling she may be a victim in this scenario." She voiced part of her theory to him. Because of the probable 'Q factor', she wanted as few people to know about this as possible.

"Need I remind you…" he began, but she didn't let him finish.

"No you don't need to remind me. I know the arguments. Trust me old friend." She finished softening her tone placing a hand briefly on his forearm in reassurance.

His only answer was to raise an eyebrow. But he deferred to her; knowing from experience she often saw aspects of a situation he did not; inclining his head slightly, he left to return to the bridge. The doors had only just closed behind him, when the doctor exclaimed.

"I don't believe this, she is missing the genetic modifiers that allow interspecies procreation. These modifiers have been part of human DNA since the 22nd century. This is starting to make sense now, missing modifiers, chroniton particles, I think..." in the blink of an eye the doctor disappeared and in his place Q stood before her.

"She is not from this time." he finished the doctor's statement with a flourish and a cheeky grin. Puffing out his chest, he appeared most pleased with himself.

"I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance." Kathryn said in her most stern 'don't mess with a Janeway' tone and directing a level 10 scowl at him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"My darling Kathy, you never cease to amaze me. I love that about you, you know." He said sending her a look of adoration, or at least what Q thought passed for adoration. "I knew you would guess it was me. Go on admit it; you haven't stopped thinking about me since we last met."

"Haven't started more like it." she muttered under her breath.

"Ouch, that hurt." Of course he heard her comment; he is a Q after all. "Come on Kathy, I know I'm your favourite Q. Admit it." he pouted.

"You're my only Q." she said sarcastically. "Oh no, I did not say that out loud. That did not come out right." she groaned and pressed her palm to her forehead.

"And you're my only Kathy." he said lovingly holding his arms wide inviting her for a hug. The look she gave him was enough to make him drop his arms to his sides and look sheepishly at her. "You can't blame a Q for trying." and shrugged.

"Oh just get to the point will you. Why have you brought her here?" She said waving her hand in, the still unconscious, Lauren's direction.

Q looked at Lauren lying on the biobed then looked accusingly at Kathryn. "What did you do to her?"

"She panicked so the doctor sedated her. She has absolutely no idea what's going on and everything is foreign to her. She thinks she's been abducted by aliens for goodness sake. When exactly did you steal her from?" as she spoke her voice got louder and firmer.

"Now, now, Kathy there's no need to shout. I can hear you just fine."

"I am not shouting, now answer the question." she growled.

"Twenty thirteen." He mumbled so she could barely hear him.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind? No, don't answer. That was a rhetorical question. I already know you're stark raving mad."

"No need to be insulting."

"What possessed you to bring a woman from the 21st century here? One who doesn't even know other species exist yet no less."

"Well I got tired of waiting for you to make the moves on Seven, so I thought I'd bring you another version."

She glared at him completely dumbfounded. _What is he talking about? She'd only just admitted to herself that she was romantically attracted to Seven. How does he know? He's a Q, ninny._ Her inner child chimed in. _Who asked you?_ She scolded herself. _And what on Earth does he mean by another version, another version of what? I know I was getting bored with nothing to do, but I don't need this._

Q walked up to Kathryn and gently closed her mouth. He did so love teasing his Kathy, she sparkled when she was angry. The touch of his hand on her chin, and the realisation she'd been standing there with her mouth agape, was enough to shock her into speech.

"Explain yourself. Now!"

"I slaved over a hot…" his eyes glazed over as he looked at Lauren lying on the biobed. He snapped out of his fantasy before finishing the thought that could have turned crude, "planet and time continuum looking for her for you. The least you could do is show a little gratitude. I've been keeping an eye on you Kathy. All this pent up sexual tension between you and Seven is making you suffer, Seven is suffering, your crew is suffering, Voyager is suffering because you're suffering, and all this suffering was making me suffer, I couldn't suffer it anymore. You need an outlet for your frustration, and seeing as you stubbornly refuse to get physical with anyone on board I thought I'd help out. So," he splayed his arms in Lauren's direction, "tada, she's my birthday gift to you. And you thought I wouldn't remember. Surprise!" he finished sheepishly.

"You cannot be serious." she replied, realising it was indeed her birthday today.

"Of course I can be serious, I just choose not to be."

"You can't just dump her here and expect us to… What exactly were you expecting us to do?" a sudden thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute. You brought me a person for my birthday?!"

"She's not just a person, she's your soul mate. Only she's an earlier incarnation of her to be exact. But then a soul mate is a soul mate no matter what lifetime you meet your mater." he shook his head and rolled his eyes as if to clear his thoughts. Giving Kathryn a gentle nudge in Lauren's direction he continued. "Fall into each other's arms, fall in love, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You can't expect me to hold your hand all the way." His eyes glazed over in fantasy again. "Unless you want me to." He said with a wolfish grin and a lascivious look in his eyes.

"Does the Continuum know you've done this?"

"What they don't know won't hurt me." He said, answering the question without directly answering the question.

"Send her back, now!" she ordered.

"No."

"I can't let her roam the ship, you've brought her 360 years into her future! I'll have to confine her to quarters." She rubbed her forehead wearily.

Q's grin grew even wider with her suggestion. _His mind is in the gutter._ She thought in amazement. _He really expects me to take this Lauren woman to bed in the blink of an eye. And I am not going to waste my breath trying to explain to him, I don't work that way. I think I'd rather face the Borg than have to deal with a Q. This is not the way I pictured the day progressing._

"Not my quarters."

"That is entirely up to you sweet Kathy. But I recommend you lock her away and don't let her out of your sight until nature takes its course. You'll have fun. She's much warmer than your Borg."

"Just how long were you planning on leaving her here?" she said ignoring his last comment.

"As long as it takes."

"As long as it takes for what?"

"Really Kathy, do I need to paint you a picture, has it been that long for you?"

She reddened in outrage. _This has gone on long enough. Time to end this now. Tell him to go suck on a warp core, that'll shut him up._ her inner child dared. Before she could tell him to put things right he said._  
_

"Well it's been nice chatting again, but I must run. Toodle-pip." He grinned as the vision of Seven pinning a pip on Kathryn's uniform popped into his mind. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy this very much. "Oh, before I go. I recommend you don't let Seven and Lauren be in the same area together. If they do meet I suggest you don't let them touch. I've never done this before, so don't know what would happen if they do." He took one last look at Kathryn, who appeared to be gearing up to give him another ear-bashing, and blew her a kiss before he disappeared.

The doctor instantly re-appeared where Q had been standing and finished his interrupted sentence. "she's from another time." he looked disappointed when he didn't get the reaction he expected from the Captain.

"Yes. Thank you Doctor. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with her." she said pensively.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note_

Sorry for the delay. I got side-tracked and had to write another couple of stories out of my system first.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The doctor took a closer look at the pinched expression on Captain Janeway's face. The stress of the situation appeared to be affecting her adversely. He picked up a tricorder and ran a quick scan over her head while she was occupied, looking at the woman, and ignoring him. _Just as I thought,_ he thought as he checked the tricorder readings,_ she is suffering from cephalgia or in layman's terms, a headache._

He prepared a hypospray with an analgesic and administered it before she even realised what he was doing. He'd learnt a long time ago the best way to treat the Captain was while she was distracted or unaware. _Or unconscious so she couldn't object, stubborn woman._

"What was that?" she said only just seeming to become aware he was still in the room.

"Just a mild analgesic, you were suffering a headache."

Unbeknownst to him, his particular choice of words was too close to a conversation Kathryn had just had a very short while ago, which caused to her groan and roll her eyes now.

"Don't mention suffering, apparently that's what got us into this mess in the first place." she said.

"Captain?" the doctor look at her, confusion at her strange comment evident on his face.

"Never mind." she waved his question aside. "I appreciate you looking after me, Doctor. Thank you."

The doctor looked mildly shocked at her words. _High praise indeed._ He thought.

"How long will she be unconscious?" Kathryn asked getting down to the business at hand.

"It's hard to say. I've never come across someone with such a low tolerance for Improvoline before. She could remain unconscious for as little as an hour or as much as a day."

"Any idea what time she is from?" even though she knew the answer she had to ask the doctor because he wasn't aware Q was involved yet.

"Well. Like I said the genetic markers missing from her DNA suggest she is from the 21st Century. If I had to guess, and you know I don't like to speculate, I would place her around the early 2100s..."

_pop_ - Q appeared in place of the doctor again.

"I thought your doctor was cleverer than that. He's way off. Why don't you set him straight?"

_pop_ - Q disappeared and the doctor was back in place again.

"...Looking at her clothing style, perhaps Mr Paris would be able to enlighten you further." the doctor finished begrudgingly. It was a well known fact to the Voyager crew, that Tom Paris was the aficionado of Earth's pre-warp history.

_pop_

"Oh really. Kathy, I've told you everything you need to know. Why continue with the charade?"

_pop_

"I would rather keep her exposure to the crew to a minimum Doctor." she continued when Q vanished and the doctor reappeared again.

"Well seeing as Mr Paris has already been 'exposed' to her..."

_pop_

"Really! _Exposed_, is the operative word all right. That fly-boy would love to get exposed to the lovely Dr Lauren, you should have seen the way he looked at her before he put his tongue back in his head and called you. And you thought I had a dirty mind Kathy." he winked cheekily at her.

_pop_

"... he was the first to encounter ..."

"Q! Would you stop doing that!" Kathryn said at the same time, interrupting the doctor's statement.

"Q? Where? I should have known he would be involved." the doctor said looking around the room for Q.

Kathryn sighed in frustration. _Thank you very much Q!_ she moaned to herself.

_pop_

"You're welcome."

_pop_

"Damn it Q, stay out of my head!" she said to the room. _Well at least the doctor knows how Lauren got here now. I guess I could bring him on board so he can help, at least for now. There's no telling what side-effects Q's little stunt may have on her, I may need the doctor's assistance later.  
_

Kathryn took a deep fortifying breath and gave the doctor brief rundown of the conversation with Q earlier. Leaving out a few of the more personal details of course.

The doctor looked at her speculatively. _She is not telling me everything._ He took pride in knowing his patients and, although the Captain was the hardest to understand, he at least knew when she was hiding something. Even though he knew she liked to be in control of every situation, he knew she was more than willing to yield to others if their knowledge was greater. That was one of the reasons why she was such a good leader.

"So, to recap, Q brought a woman from the 21st Century here as a birthday gift for you?"

"Yes. That about sums it up."

"That doesn't make any sense at all. Even for a Q."

She looked away from him quickly, refusing to maintain eye contact. That just confirmed his suspicions she wasn't telling him everything.

"Did he say how long she was going to be here? Or is she just here for today? And why her?"

"All very good questions Doctor. Unfortunately, as is Q's habit, he is not that forthcoming with information."

"Well we can't keep her sedated."

"No I realise that. But we can't let her roam the ship either. I can't tell her when and were she is, that would be in violation of the Temporal Prime Directive..."

_pop_

"Oh Temporal Prime, blah blah. To quote you, that is a much more realistic you I once knew, _It's less of a headache if you just ignore it._" he grinned. "Oh wait, that wasn't _you,_ you, that was a different you, a future you. Oops. Just ignore me."

_pop_

"... And I can't put her in the brig." she continued, not missing a beat after Q's interruption, "I really am at a loss to what to do with her Doctor. Do _you_ have any suggestions?"

He stood contemplating the unconscious woman lying on the biobed in front of them for a moment. _Where on the ship could they put her safely until Q decided to send her back when and where she belonged? She couldn't be confined. She had to have minimal interaction with the crew. She had to remain unaware of her true surroundings. Hmmm._ Suddenly he hit on the perfect solution.

"Perhaps we should put her on Earth, Captain."

"That would be a little beyond our capabilities at present, Doctor. In case you've forgotten, we are still 30,000 light years from Earth. I was hoping for a practical solution from you."

"Not _The_ Earth per se, but a _version_ of Earth. The holodeck, Captain." he finished when it was obvious she still hadn't understood his meaning.

_The holodeck. Of course! I can put her in my Bloomington program, I won't even have to modify it, it's already locked to everyone's use except mine._ Kathryn's thoughts were racing a mile a minute as she turned to the door and threw her parting comments over her shoulder.

"Excellent idea. I will go and set up a program, and we'll transport her there as soon as possible."

"Let me know if you need any help. And I do highly recommend you consult with Tom Paris for authenticity..." his suggestion, spoken to her retreating back, trailed off as she exited the sick bay with a purposeful stride. He wasn't sure if she'd heard him or not.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note:  
_Not only do I have the voices in my own head to contend with, I now have all these others chasing mine around, vying for space. I apologise now if it gets confusing, and before I become a jabbering idiot.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Kathryn wandered slowly around the room, idly picking up the occasional knick-knack or running a hand lovingly over the surface of a piece of furniture. Generally absorbing the familiarity of her childhood home that always brought a genuine smile to her face. A smile that reached, not only to wrap itself around her heart but, also shone openly from her eyes. The program of Bloomington was the single-most private thing she had on Voyager. She had only run it a few times in the six years they'd been in the Delta Quadrant and now she was going to put a stranger in it for Q knew how long. She refused to examine her choice of location too closely; in fact she point-blank refused to examine her choice at all. She quickly made her way back to sick bay.

A few minutes later, when she entered through the main door to sick bay, the first thing she noticed was that the doctor had removed Lauren's white coat. The blue blouse she wore stretched tightly across her ample bosom; the opening at the top revealed a tempting glimpse of creamy flesh beneath that rose and fell with her breathing. _Is her skin as soft as it looks?_ She wondered._ Woah! What the hell. Since when have I ogled breasts? And wanted to touch them?_ Kathryn thought face flushing hotly at the unbidden lustful thoughts that had raced through her at the sight of Lauren. She thought her hormones being in overdrive may have something to do with Q somehow, but seeing as he was being his usual unforthcoming-self, she'd have to wait to ask him about it.

Seeking out the doctor quickly, she cleared her throat loudly, not only to get the doctor's attention, when he didn't look up from his console when she entered his office, but to clear the fog of arousal from her brain.

"Is she ready to transport Doctor?"

"Yes, I suppose so." He replied, paying scant attention to the Captain.

"Good. I've commandeered Holodeck One. Only you and I have access. And you only in an extreme _medica__l_ emergency, is that understood?" When she didn't get a response right away, she increased the strength of her tone. "Doctor?" and waited until he lifted his head to look at her.

Still only half paying attention to her he acknowledged her with a muttered, "Understood." then continued reading the report on his screen.

"Excellent. Now that we have that out of the way." She concluded. Not even the doctor's rudeness could distract her from her objective right now. She made her way quickly back to her 'guest' and initiated a site to site transport. Even though Voyager's energy resources were getting low, she felt the use of the transport justified, under the circumstances.

"Computer, site to site transport. Two to beam to Holodeck One. Authorisation, Janeway Omega six three one."

With pin-point precision she rematerialised standing next to her old bed in her childhood bedroom. Lauren appeared lying on the bed at the same time. The doctor had already removed her shoes at some point so all Kathryn did was pull the comforter up over her so she wouldn't get chilled. Taking one last lingering look at her, deliberately avoiding any intimate areas, she turned and left the room. She had some serious thinking to do before Lauren regained consciousness, so she better get started.

Reluctant to leave the holodeck, now she was there, she quickly informed Chakotay she would be unavailable for the rest of the shift and for the next few days.

_"Is everything all right Captain? Nothing too serious I hope."_ Even with the distortion of the communications system, Kathryn could hear the concern in his voice.

"Yes Chakotay, everything is fine. The doctor suggested I take a break for a few days, nothing you need to worry about." She was quick to assure him. _Well that's almost the truth._ "I've utilised Holodeck One and it is off limits for the duration, in the meantime, the crew will just have to make do with Holodeck Two.

_"Very well, Kathryn. Enjoy your rest. Chakotay out."_

Satisfied she had covered her absence, she replicated herself a mug of coffee, and grabbed a throw rug from the living room on her way outside. She settled herself comfortably in a deck chair on the West side of the house; the best place to watch the sun set. She fully intended to enjoy her time here as much as the situation would allow. Several peaceful moments later, the only conclusion she'd reached, was that a log entry was required. Instead of entering an official Captain's Log; she decided there are some things Starfleet brass don't need to know; she made a personal recording instead.

* * *

_Captain's personal log, Stardate 52991.89_

_Today has been... eventful to say the least. I had hoped to get through the day without incident. Being my birthday, I just wanted it to be over. Then Q decided to make an appearance and shake things up a little. It seems Q thinks it appropriate to give a person as a birthday gift. Yes that is what I meant, Q gave me a person for my birthday.__ A Dr Lauren Lewis from Earth. From 2013 no less, I can't believe h__e brought her here from 360 years ago. __ His actions are not only a personal affront to me but to everyone involved. His thoughtlessness has gone too far. I don't know why he feels he has the right to meddle in people's lives like this. He said Lauren was my soul mate. Then he had to gall to tell me he gave her to me to relieve my sexual frustration. Sexual is not the type of frustration I feel right now. If he would just stay still long enough...  
_

_I am at a loss as to what to do.__ I get a headache just thinking about this.__ Her reality is__ so fundamentally different to what she's been brought to.__ I'm afraid that even if I were to divulge the whole truth to her; ha! even if I told her the half of it; she wouldn't be able to fathom it. The doctor is the only one that knows of Q's involvement in all of this at the moment; and then I've only let him know because I may require his assistance if her health is affected by Q's actions.  
_

_The only other people who know of her existence on board are Tom Paris, crewman Jerry Platt and my old friend and trusted advisor Tuvok. I am reluctant to let anyone else know more than they already do, even Tuvok. The doctor's suggestion to put Lauren in a holodeck simulation of Earth was an excellent idea, so I have placed her in my childhood home in Bloomington, Indiana. I am currently waiting for her to awaken from the sedative the doctor administered earlier. I have no idea how long that will take, and in the meantime I have to decide what I'm going to tell her.  
_

* * *

"Computer, end log."

Kathryn took another sip of hot coffee, relishing the warmth of the acerbic liquid as it travelled down her throat, soothing her frayed nerves. She coveted what little outer warmth she could by cradling the metal mug in her hands and holding it close to her chest. Taking a deep breath, she savoured the aroma. Of all the things from Earth, the single-most important one she would not have been able to endure the Delta Quadrant without, was coffee.

She pulled the soft woolen blanket closer around her shoulders, snuggling down in its warmth. She loved this time of year in her hometown. The air starting to chill in the evenings, requiring the use of an open fire if one was feeling decadent. The leaves on the trees just beginning to turn colour at the onset of Autumn. She loved the feeling of nature folding its arms around itself to keep itself warm until Spring. Even if it was just a holographic version. A small breeze rustled the leaves in the trees and in the distance she could hear the cicadas calling to each other.

As she sat there, and despite her internal struggle, the familiar surroundings and sounds of encroaching night were enough to lull her gently to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note:_

Dates are from information found at Memory Alpha. I really have no idea when Kathryn would have graduated from Starfleet, the date used is my best-guess.

I got sick of writing this chapter, so here it is, in all it's 'meh'ness. Feel free to offer your beta reading skills if you think it could be better.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Lauren clawed her way back to consciousness slowly. _Oh God, _she thought,_ it feels like someone's taken the top off my head and is using a jack hammer to perform brain surgery. I must have had a good time last night._ Cracking open an eyelid, she tested her photo-sensitivity, satisfied she wasn't going to burn her retinas she opened her eyes. And they kept opening until she was about as wide-eyed as she could get. The first thing she noticed was the room's decor, it looked like a child's room. Sitting up she blinked slowly as she looked at her surroundings; each time expecting the location to change into something more familiar; like her room at home, or at least a grown up's bedroom, but it didn't. She looked down at herself quickly; thankfully she was still an adult. Fae only knows, she could have been turned into a child, considering what she gets exposed to in her line of work. The memory of what transpired over the last, few hours? days? came flooding back. _What on Earth did that hick 'doctor' inject me with? And where the hell am I now!?_ She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and slowly stood, testing her strength. The last thing she needed was to fall over on weak knees and crack her head open on something.

Satisfied her legs would support her, Lauren began to investigate her surroundings; looking for a clue as to where she was. On face value, it looked like any other kid's room. It wasn't until Lauren looked closely at photos, awards and trinkets that the realisation she was a long way from home, a very long way, sank in. The first things she noticed were the photographs. The woman Kathryn, the Captain, was in all of them; albeit a much younger version of her. A graduation; she was wearing a uniform similar to the one she wore when they met only gold across the shoulders not red, the caption on the frame stated _"Starfleet Academy 2350"_. A group photo; Kathryn with two other women, one older, one similar in age, mother and sister? On the wall was a baby hand print dated 2328. A poster of a planetary system, not Earth's solar system, and a vessel that could only be described as a space ship. _So, I'm 350 years in the future? Time travel? Oh boy. Well, at least I know when I am. Now I just have to figure out where I am and what they want with me. I can't believe this, __I feel like I've stumbled into a Sci-Fi show. Oh Bo, I could really use your help right about now. I don't know if I'm strong enough to cope with whatever this situation is.  
_

The scene outside captured her attention. Moving to the window she absorbed the vision of a setting sun over endless fields, gentle hills in the distance. Looking down she see noted a wide wooden deck wrapping around the house with various items of furniture scattered about. On one of the recliners she noticed someone's legs, the rest of the person hidden from view. With a chuckle, she can't stop herself making the connection to "The Wizard of Oz", and the death of The Wicked Witch of the East, _Ding dong! the witch is dead._ She thought with a smile.

"My name may not be Dorothy, but I am definitely 'not in Kansas anymore'." She said aloud turning from the window; intending to make her way downstairs to talk with the person below.

_pop_ - Q chose that moment to appear directly in front of her.

"'Not in Kansas anymore', a pop culture reference to The Wizard of Oz? Interesting you should make that observation. Not that you were in Kansas on Earth. But that's beside the point and that is most definitely not The Wicked Witch of the East." Q said startling her with his sudden appearance.

"Who are you? The Wizard?"

"No. I am a Q."

"Bless you." she said, her inherent politeness kicking in automatically.

"Pardon?"

"Bless you. It's what we say when someone sneezes."

"You thought I sneezed. Sneezed!" he wasn't sure if he should be amused or offended. "I am a Q."

"Bless you."

"No. NO. NO! I didn't sneeze. I am _a_ Q, one of many Qs. A Q from the Q Continuum? Oh never mind. I am Q, Q, Q! Get it? You can call me Q."

"Oh." she said in a small voice in the wake of his agitation.

"Honestly you human women are the most frustrating creatures in the universe."

"Am I right in assuming you brought me here?"

"Quite correct."

"Why?"

"Well, you see Kathy is very dear to me. She helped me with junior and handled my bumbling attempt to mate with her rather well, she really is a good sport... but that's neither here nor there. What I need you to do now is... well, sweep her off her feet. Show her a good time. Get her to relax a little, unwind. She's been too long in the Delta Quadrant with no outlet for her... urges, if you know what I mean." He finished with a sly wink.

"So if I understand you correctly; you brought me here... this Kathy... for... to, to pimp me?" She asked incredulously when her thoughts settled.

"Well, that would be the crude way to put it."

"There isn't any other way to put it. You want me to... her... us... Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I told you, I'm a Q." He said as if that solved everything. "I know how devastated you were over Bo..."

"Don't you dare!" She interrupted then stopped abruptly and blinked as he disappeared.

_pop_

"Damn it! Don't think that means you can get away with this." She said to the empty room.

Making her way outside she paid scant attention to the rest of the home. She saw enough to realise the similarities and differences with a typical dwelling. Opening a set of french doors she stepped outside on to the wide deck that disappeared around the both sides of the house. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air she closed her eyes for a moment, and just enjoyed the setting. Getting her bearings from the landscape she turned left and walked round the corner of the deck to seek out the person she saw from the window. Approaching the recliner she was about to call out when something stopped her.

She had identified the Captain, Kathryn, on her approach, but she was loathe to disturb her for some reason. Instead she stopped beside the reclining woman and observed her as she slept. Lauren's first impression of the Captain, in sick bay, had been of a very authoritative woman, strong-willed and used to getting what she wanted. Now it was as if she was looking at a completely different woman. Her features had softened in sleep and she looked, relaxed, serene, even more beautiful. The waning sunlight cast a subtle glow over her pale skin increasing her beauty.

Lauren leaned her hip on railing and watched her, the gentle rise and fall of her chest in the strange uniform. Her auburn hair moved gently, caressing her cheek, in the occasional breeze. Just then Kathryn sighed, drawing Lauren's gaze to her slightly parted lips. She found herself wanting to kiss them. _Where did that thought come from? It's almost like I've become obsessed with sex.  
_

She realised that, if she was being honest, carrying out this Q person's request would not be a hardship. Kathryn was a very beautiful woman and she'd already admitted to herself she was attracted to the Captain. She could think of worse things to be doing while stuck here.


End file.
